Effects of speed cameras defended

Accusations that speed cameras are used to turn motorists into "a nice little earner" for the Government have been rubbished by road safety campaigners.

The issue came to head of after official figures revealed a huge rise in the number of people getting tickets for driving too fast.

Shadow police reform minister David Ruffley said a million more speeding tickets a year are now being issued compared with a decade ago.

He said the Government needed to "rethink ways of improving road safety", but road safety charity Brake said speed cameras and speed restrictions were aiding the battle to keep accidents down.

Mr Ruffley said: "Ministers need to tell us what they are doing with this £100 million a year taken from motorists. How much is actually put back into practical road safety that does not involve speed cameras?

"Ministers' failure to answer that question confirms the view that for this government the British motorist is 'a nice little earner'."

Cathy Keeler, campaigns head at Brake, said: "Recent Government figures have shown that the number of people exceeding 30mph speed limits has fallen, so the message is getting through.

"More people are getting tickets because speed limits are being enforced more vigorously. More people are now beginning to view speeding in the same light as drinking and driving in that it is an anti-social thing to do but there is still a long way to go."